In the span of a year, Cruz has transformed himself from a little-known Senate candidate into the face of a government shutdown that has roiled Washington politics and raised questions about the viability of the American political process.

Richmond, Virginia (CNN) - Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, blamed by Democrats and some of his fellow Republicans as a chief architect of the ongoing government shutdown, struck back on Saturday, faulting President Obama and Senate Democrats for the political stalemate.

“Let me be very clear, I don’t think we should be in a shutdown,” Cruz said in a speech to conservatives in the Virginia state capital. “Throughout the course of it, I have said we should not shut down the government. But sadly this is Harry Reid’s and President Obama's shutdown.”

The government shutdown began Tuesday when the president refused to give in to Republican demands that he delay or change the Affordable Care Act, the signature achievement of his first term that began enrolling patients on October 1, in exchange for passing a routine spending bill.

Watch CNN's "State of the Union" for an exclusive interview with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz at 9 a.m. and noon ET.FULL POST

Fairfax, Virginia (CNN) - Virginia GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli said Friday that the Affordable Care Act is “the law of the land” and called on members of Congress to pass a short-term spending bill that would bring the ongoing government shutdown to an end.

“This is no way to run a government, especially a super power,” Cuccinelli told reporters after convening a roundtable discussion with area physicians to discuss flaws in the health care law.FULL POST

(CNN) - Wendy Davis is expected to go public Thursday with some news that everyone in politics already knows: She's running for governor of Texas.

The state senator from Fort Worth electrified Democrats in June by slipping on a pair of pink Mizunos and a back brace to stage a dramatic 11-hour filibuster of a Republican bill that drastically scaled back abortion rights in the state. Never mind that the bill eventually passed in a special legislative session: Democrats around the country were in full swoon mode.

Washington (CNN) - With guns back in the national spotlight after a mass shooting at Washington's Navy Yard, Texas Gov. Rick Perry will tour Maryland's largest gun manufacturer on Wednesday as part of his ongoing effort to lure businesses to his home state.

A Perry aide told CNN that the Republican governor will tour the Beretta USA facility in Accokeek, Maryland, just over the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - A government audit on Navy security found that the Navy Yard and other installations may have increased security risks in an effort to reduce costs, a federal source told CNN.

"Navy installations command attempted to reduce access control costs," according to a soon-to-be-released report from the Department of Defense Inspector General. The source read CNN portions of the report. "As a result, at least 52 convicted felons received routine unauthorized installation access, placing military personnel at increased security risk."

New York (CNN) - New York mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio, who began his campaign as a long-shot but surfed a late wave of momentum by tapping into liberal anxiety over the three-term administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, overwhelmed his opponents on Tuesday to finish first in the city's Democratic mayoral primary.

With results still being counted late Tuesday evening, de Blasio, the city's public advocate, was bobbing around the 40% mark needed to avoid a three-week runoff race for the Democratic nomination.

New York (CNN) - Anthony Weiner was running almost an hour late for his final campaign appearance of the weekend, two days before he faces all-but-certain political doom in Tuesday's Democratic primary for New York mayor.

There was a "child care mixup" at home, an aide said. Weiner had to peel off the campaign trail and hustle back to his Park Avenue residence to pick up his 20-month-old son, Jordan. Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, has been absent from his side for weeks.